Norton^®

In 1885, seven Worcester entrepreneurs bought the patent for a grinding wheel from Frank Norton, owner of the Water Street Pottery Shop, where the formula for the grinding wheel had been invented. They also bought his company name. And, Norton Company was born. The founders purchased land in the city’s Greendale section, which was then farmland, and built their first grinding wheel plant. Norton has occupied that land ever since where two of the founders, John Jeppson and Milton Higgins, their sons, and grandsons, then managed the company until the 1970s. After 130 years, the world headquarters for the Abrasives business remains in Worcester and they continue to maintain their entrepreneurial spirit as we focus on the continued evolution to bring solutions to customers with choices that matter to them.